Back in Time
by Jynx999
Summary: Cal and Ethan (of course) past fic. Focusing on their brotherly bond in the past and their family life. Angsty and featuring protective/caring Cal.
1. Chapter 1

**So I had a few suggestions to write a past fic, I started typing with no real plans and this happened. Not 100% on it and I have used a lot of artistic licence in this. J x**

Ethan always had a stutter, from his very first sentence it was clear he just struggled with day to day conversation. Even answering what he wanted for tea was becoming a challenge. He was getting speech therapy but after only 4 hours' worth of sessions under his belt, there was very little progress.

Now school was difficult, he was bullied, not just for the stutter but because of how clever he was. He would never put his hand up to answer a question, but every week the class would sit a short exam on things they had learned that week and Ethan's marks were always about 90% by far the highest of the group.

Ethan was walking back from school, alone as he always did. It had been a day like any other, being heckled in the playground, running inside crying and getting to spend the rest of the day on his own in a side room doing his work, the way he liked it. It wasn't strange that he was being followed by a group of boys from his year group, they lived nearby and would often scare him while he was heading home but today was different. One second Ethan was walking, the next he was on the ground. He felt each kick individually, some hurt more than others. One even went for the head and in all honesty he was disappointed that it didn't knock him out so he couldn't feel anymore.

Finally it ended and Ethan watched their shabby trainers as they ran off. He lay there for a few short seconds before getting to his feet. He stumbled a little before he staggered up onto the main street still dragging his school bag behind him. He felt like he was about to pass out when he heard his name being called and more footsteps heading towards him. Not again.

Ethan closed his eyes as the person got close and placed their hand on his shoulder.

"Ethan!? What happened? We need to get you home, come on."

That voice was unmistakeable, his big brother. With only a gap of 3 years Cal was 14 but was very independent for his age. He grabbed his brother's bag and practically carried young Ethan the short distance home.

Upon getting through the door Cal supported Ethan through the house passing their father who was wasted on the sofa without him even batting an eyelid. He then helped him lay on his bed before he stepped back and looked at the state of Ethan.

Bruises were already beginning to show on his arms and there was blood coming from his lip, nose and more worryingly his head.

"We need to get this uniform off you." Cal spoke and helped him undress until he was lay in just his boxers.

Now exposed Cal could see the extent of Ethan's injuries. He had bruised down both arms and legs, a nasty foot shaped mark on his thigh where someone had clearly stamped on him. His chest was bruised, most likely a few cracked if not broken ribs there. Then his head, his hair was matted with half dry blood, concussion almost definite.

He rushed off and got a bowl of walk water and some cloths before returning back to his whimpering younger brother.

"Just going to clean you up yeah?" Cal spoke and Ethan nodded a little.

He started with his face, nothing looked too serious, it was easy to clean up although the bruising was slowly getting worse.

"Who did this?" Cal asked as he cleaned up more of Ethan applying a couple of small dressings to some open cuts Ethan had got.

"C..c..class.m..mates.." Ethan stuttered although his stutter was never too bad when it was just him and Cal.

"The boys up the road?" Cal asked. "I swear next time I see them they will wish they had never been born."

"No..no Cal.." Ethan shook his head and tried to sit up causing him to groan in pain.

"Hey stay still…" Cal supported him in his sitting position having now finished cleaning his cuts.

"No… don't get in t..trouble." Ethan told him before the colour drained from him and he vomited without any real warning.

"Woah…" Cal tried to aim his brother away from the bed. "It's alright… it's ok." He reassured him as he began to cry.

"Don't tell Mum…" Ethan squeezed his eyes closed to stop the tears. His dad always said neither of his sons were going to be wimps.

"I think Mum will find out for herself when she gets in Ethan. You're battered mate." Cal told him and rubbed his back.

"She has enough to deal with, Dad's drunk again." Ethan mumbled.

"Yeah well, you come first." Cal told him and lay him back on the bed before grabbing something to clean up.

Ethan nodded gently and snuggled into the bed closing his eyes.

"No, Ethan you can't sleep, its not good for you if you have concusion." Cal warned him.

"I'm tired." His younger brother complained.

"I know but come on, stay away a little longer." Cal told him and propped him up with pillows. "Mum will be back soon and she will give you a proper look over."

"Ok." Ethan nodded and watched his brother. "Why do they always pick on me?"

"Because they a jealous." Cal told him.

"Of what? My stutter? My glasses? My messed up family?" Ethan muttered

"Our family is not messed up Ethan!" Cal snapped slightly before sighing seeing he had upset Ethan.

He sat beside him on the bed. "I mean, we're not that different from anyone else. There is no such thing as normal these days."

Ethan nodded and sniffed a little.

"You're smart Ethan, they're jealous of that. Your stutter is an issue that is being dealt with and you will overcome. As for everything else, it's what makes you you. Don't let people make you feel ashamed of any of that." Cal explained. "You will make something of yourself, have a good life."

"You will too." Ethan told his older brother.

"We will see." He told him. "I just want to finish my exams and get away from here."

"Are you leaving?" Ethan asked.

"I have to Ethan, I have no choice." Cal told him.

"What about me and Mum?" Ethan asked again clearly worried.

"You and Mum will be better off without me hanging around. I will explain when you are older." Cal told him.

"Why not now? I'm not an idiot I will understand." Ethan told him.

"You can't understand Ethan, not yet." Cal told him.

Ethan didn't get a chance to respond before there was an excessive amount of shouting coming from downstairs.

"Mum's home. I best go down and see what's going on." Cal sighed and got up off the bed. "You stay here."

Ethan did as he was told. Cal headed down the stairs to find his Dad stood up towering over his mother shouting at her for being late. When Cal checked the time she was in fact late, but only by five minutes. There was no need for any of this.

"Dad!" Cal shouted as his father raised his hand and slapped his mother. He ran straight over getting between them receiving the back side of his Dad's hand across his own face.

Ethan was worried, this was becoming a daily thing now. He climbed from the bed and onto the stairs so he could see what was going on.

Cal fought his Dad, it didn't take too much in his drunken state to get his father over and onto the floor where he was unable to get up due to the amount of alcohol in his system. He then wiped his hand over his lip where it was now bleeding before going over to his Mum and heling her up off the floor.

"Come on, we need to go upstairs. Ethan was hurt today." Cal told her.

"He hurt Ethan!?" She spoke anger growing.

"Not him, the lad from down the road again." Cal told her and guided her up the stairs where he found Ethan cowering on the top step. "Come on you, it's ok now." He told him and took him back to his room.

"Oh Ethan." His mother cried slightly as she saw the state of her youngest son.

"I'm fine mum." Ethan dismissed her.

"He's been sick, probably a concussion." Cal called from the bathroom where he was cleaning his own face.

"Sweetheart, you don't ever have to go back there we will find you a different school." She told him and Ethan nodded suddenly feeling quite drowsy.

Cal noticed Ethan's sudden change and frowned. "You ok?" He asked walking over.

As he got there Ethan's body went limp and Cal stopped him sliding off the end of the bed before he started to fit. Their Mum panicked but Ca knew what to do. Wait it out, time it and make sure there was nothing he could injure himself on.

"Mum get the car, we need to take him to the hospital." Cal told her and she rushed off.

Not half an hour later and they had got to the hospital and got Ethan straight into A&amp;E where they were doing urgent brain scans. Cal and his mum sat in the cubicle and waited until nurse came over.

"Ethan is having his scan now, he woke up just before hand and we had to sedate him slightly to calm him." She said and began to put on some gloves.

"What are you doing?" Their mum questioned.

"You have a small cut on your cheek, and you son has a cut on his lip and what looks to be the start of a black eye. You may as well be checked out." She told them.

"You can check Cal, I'm fine." She replied sternly.

The nurse nodded and checked Cal over before grabbing a small scrub top from the supplies trolley.

"Here you are, pop that on. Your shirt is covered in blood. Which I am assuming is not your own." She spoke.

"No. I helped Ethan, cleaned up his cuts." Cal said and took off his blood stained tshirt.

"What the hell…" His mother spoke as she looked at her shirtless son. His torso was covered in a rainbow of bruises, from black to yellow. All a different age and one that looked like a hand print.

"It's nothing." Cal told her and put the scrub top on quickly.

"That doesn't look like nothing." The nurse spoke up. "Look, it's my job to notice these things and from what I've seen today I am suspecting home is not a great place for you all. You know there are a lot of programmes for families like yours to get help."

"Families like ours!?" Cal snapped. "We are a good normal family!"

"Don't kid yourself Caleb." His mother shook her head. "Your father did that to you didn't he? He gave you those bruises."

"No!" Cal shouted.

"Did you father do that the Ethan too?" She asked sadly.

"No…" Cal calmed down. "I would never let him harm Ethan, the kids from along the street did that."

"I can't make you do anything, but I can give you the information and you can get help with this." The nurse spoke.

"No need. We have an arrangement." Ca told her.

"What do you mean?" His mum asked.

"Dad said once I leave things will change, he will stop hurting you. I just hve to get through my exams first." Cal explained his plan.

"Oh Caleb no, it doesn't work like that. People like him don't just stop." She shook her head at her son's naivety.

"He will, he promised!" Cal snapped and stood up. "I will stop all this!" he then stormed out just as Ethan was being wheeled back in stopping his mother chancing after him.

**So let me know your thoughts and ideas of what could happen next as I am stumped! x**


	2. Chapter 2

"I..w..want Cal.." Ethan told the nurse and his Mum he was becoming agitated again.

"Why don't you see if you can find him? I will stay here." The nurse suggested to his mother.

She nodded and left Ethan with the nurse as she went off to find her eldest son.

Cal had ran outside, he hadn't gone far as he wanted to be there for Ethan, he was at outside of the entrance on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest.

_"If I get out of here now then everything will get better, Mum doesn't understand. I need to leave. I can't tell Ethan it will panic him. They will both see, once I am gone then things will get better. They can be a happy family. Just what Ethan has always wanted." _Cal thought to himself.

As much as he didn't want to leave he knew he had to. He wiped his eyes as he spotted his mother stood in front of him.

"It's alright Caleb, Ethan is going to be fine. He is asking for you." She told him and he got to his feet.

She placed her arm around her son's shoulders leading him back inside to his brother.

"Caleb." Ethan smiled as he saw Cal walk into the cubicle.

"Hey you, how you feeling?" He smiled although he seemed distant.

"I'm ok, they gave me some pain killers. Said if you hadn't done such a good job looking after me it could have been a lot worse." Ethan's stutter had totally vanished now he was with Cal.

Their mother stood proudly watching her two boys before she and the nurse left them to have some time alone.

"I love you, you know that don't you?" Cal spoke quietly and sat on the bed with Ethan.

"Of course.." Ethan nodded.

"Even if I'm not here all of the time, even if we are miles apart. We are still brothers and I will still care about you." Cal told him looking into his eyes. "Never forget that ok?"

"Ok. What's wrong?" Ethan frowned noticing something was going on.

"Nothing, I just need you to remember that." Cal told him. "I've decided what job I want to do now though. Thanks to you."

"What's that then?" Ethan smiled

"A doctor." Cal told him proudly. "I am going to be a doctor."

"I will be too and we can be doctors together." Ethan spoke naively.

"Yeah, sure." Cal agreed and patted Ethan's leg. "I have to go."

"Why?" Ethan asked.

"I have things to do. Just remember what I told you though yeah?" Cal told him.

Ethan nodded and watched his brother leave, he was oblivious to Cal's plans.

…..

Weeks past and Ethan was missing his brother. Things at home had changed, the violence stopped but his Dad was never sober these days. His new school was going well, his stutter was improving rapidly, he was still dedicated on becoming a doctor like his brother had said.

"When is Cal coming home? Where is he?" Ethan asked one night.

"He's dead." His father spat.

"Frank!" His mother shook her head. "He has gone away to study sweetheart. He's fine."

Ethan just nodded at his mother.

He seemed to spend a lot of time looking out of his window in the hope to see his brother walking down the drive but that never happened. He would often go and sleep in Cal's bedroom, although he wasn't there just being in the room gave him great comfort.

…...

Years past and Ethan was in his first year of med school. It was his 18th birthday and he was woken in the early hours by his mother who had tears in her eyes.

"Mum? What's wrong?" Ethan sat up in bed.

"It's your father, he's dead Ethan…" She told him.

Ethan just stared at her for a few seconds, he didn't love his father, not really. But his mother did and she was upset. He get out of bed and gave her a hug. What a birthday present.

They spent the rest of the early hours in the room with his father's body, his mum crying and Ethan just feeling numb but looking after her. Come sunrise and the ambulance had been called and they were on their way to collect his father's body.

Ethan made his way to the front door, he picked up an envelope with his name written on it, he frowned. It was his birthday but he never got cards.

_To Ethan,_

_ Happy 18__th__ Birthday. You're an adult now, knuckle down in med school._

_Caleb x_

Ethan stared at the writing, it had been years since he had heard from his older brother. He hadn't seen him since the day at the hospital.

He put the card to one side as he heard the ambulance. The men came in and took away father in the back of the ambulance. It was the alcohol, his body was too damaged it just gave up on him. It was a ticking time bomb.

The rest of the day was spent comforting his mother. It wasn't until just before she fell asleep she whispered to him.

"Happy birthday son."

Ethan covered her with a cover before he himself headed to bed.

…

The day of the funeral came. The church had been quite empty, no one but a few close family members and some of his dad's old friends from the pub who Ethan avoided at all costs. No sign of his brother though.

It wasn't until they were gathered around the grave having watched the coffin being lower that he spotted someone in the distance, in a black suit watching. Ethan watched the figure, they made eye contact and although he looked so different he knew who it was. The figure turned to walk away and Ethan ran from the graveside leaving his aunt to look after his mother.

Finally he got within a close distance to the figure.

"Caleb!" He called out and they both slowed to a stop.

Cal turned to face his younger sibling, he hadn't wanted to be seen but was glad in a way he got the chance to see how Ethan had grown.

"I…I…" Ethan didn't know what to say.

Cal gave a small smile as he put his hands in his pockets. "I know you don't have a stutter anymore."

"No, I'm just lost for words." Ethan told him.

"I have to go Ethan." Cal told him.

"No. Not again, that was the last thing you said to me last time." Ethan shook his head.

"I had to leave Ethan, to stop you and Mum getting hurt. I look out for myself now, you need to learn the same." Cal spoke flatly.

"But Dad is dead now, you can come back…" Ethan tried.

"No. I'm not coming back." Cal responded quickly.

"Mum's ill too now Caleb. She has cancer. It's slow growing but there is nothing that can be done." Ethan explained.

"Then there is nothing I can do, I'm sorry." Cal sighed. "I've got a flight to Spain in a few hours. I have to go."

"You've changed." Ethan spoke disappointed.

"I've grown up, and learnt what is important." Cal told him. "Tell Mum I love her."

"Tell her yourself? Cal, if you leave I will never forgive you."

Cal just sighed before walking away. Ethan watched shaking his head before going back to comfort his mother.

**Ok so now I am stuck again. Don't know where to go from here, ideas guys!?**

**I've also had a new idea but I'm not 100% on it. Basically after rewatching the episode where Ethan found out Cal stole the money, Cal says to Ethan "Did I mention he is an orphan?" Now I know they are orphans, technically (as far as we know anyway with their father having not been mentioned). So would it be far fetched to say one of them was orphaned as a baby and was adopted into the family? – This sounded ok in my head but now I am writing it down it doesn't sound too good ha.**

**Anyway let me know what you think, feel free to steal my idea and write a story like this. I enjoy reading more than writing! Ha.**

**Much love J x**


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